


Hope for the Hopeless

by toodeepinfandoms



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Overwatch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 11:37:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9547481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toodeepinfandoms/pseuds/toodeepinfandoms
Summary: Hanzo Shimada never imagined that he would come to tolerate the rugged cowboy called McCree. McCree never thought he could withstand the pretentiousness of the elder Shimada. Only after some unfortunate events unfold do the hopeless find hope in each other.





	1. Enemies of the Same Team

Another mission completed by a narrow margine. If everyone would get along, the missions would go smoother. Back at headquarters, Reinhardt called a convening with the cowboy and the archer. 

"Shimada, McCree," he started, "what the hell is your problem! You twos bickering and fighting with each other nearly cost us the mission. This is the last time that I will tolerate this," he said.

"Well, I for one don't work with people who have a lack of manners, are lazy, obnoxious, and sloppy," Hanzo replied, glaring over at Jesse.

Jesse scoffed in reply to Hanzo's words. "And I, don't work with people who are pretentious, stubborn, and have a stick up their ass all the time."

The two men were ready to punch each other after that exchange of words, thankfully they never got the chance.

"Well, then maybe you two need to spend some more time together, hm? Get to know each other enough to cooperate peacefully? Do some basic team building and trust exercises," Reinhardt stated.

"As if!" Jesse retorted. One thing was for certain, he did not want to have to spend another moment with the pretentious archer.

"It was not a suggestion McCree," he said, "If both of you want to stay in this organization then get it together and figure out how to work together."

With that final remark, Reinhardt left leaving the two alone.

The room fell so silent that you could hear a feather falling. With a sneer Jesse turned on his heels and left the room, his serape flapping softly behind him. 

He could not believe that this was happening. He, would have to do one on one team building sessions with the one member of the team who never failed to get on his nerves. This could not end well for either of them.


	2. Cooperation

Neither of the two were looking forward to the coming week of bonding. Both Jesse and Hanzo were given a letter describing what was to happen in the next seven days and neither of them looked excited about it. 

As instructed, the two showed up at the training area at 7 am sharp on the first day. Reinhardt stood in the center of the room welcoming the two. 

"Good morning both of you," he said, receiving a nod from a tired McCree.

"Good morning, Reinhardt," Hanzo replied.

"Ready to begin today?" Reinhardt questioned looking almost too eager to get the day started.

"No," both Hanzo and Jesse replied.

"Great, let's begin!"

The day started off easy enough. First thing they did was target practice with their own weapons. It seemed basic enough and took no more than a half hour. From there the day only got harder. After target practice with their own weapons, they switched equipment much to the dismay of Hanzo. It took quite a bit of convincing before the stubborn archer handed it over to the gunslinger. It was his most prized possession after all. 

Hanzo soon adjusted to the gun the cowboy handed over in the swap. It controlled well though held few rounds. It only took a few practice shots before he caught on. 

Jesse on the other hand had quite the difficulty with the bow. His initial cockiness wore off and was replaced with frustration. It took significantly more tries to even shoot an arrow and twice as many to actually hit a target. 

Taking much amusement out of watching the cowboy struggle, Hanzo snickered.

"Having trouble, cowman?" he teased with a smirk. Taking great satisfaction in watching the struggling man. 

Jesse's frustration only rose with the question. He was being shown up by a pretentious archer using the gun he swapped for the bow.

"Not at all," he growled once more attempting to shoot the target narrowly missing the outer ring. The miss only fueled the entertainment of the archer and the frustration of the gunslinger. 

It took the entire day for him to be able to get the hang of the bow. Sundown came and the two left training, one frustrated and somewhat embarrassed, the other entertained.

The rest of the week continued to progress similarly, one frustrated while the other found entertainment in their frustration. 

It was half way through the week when Reinhardt decided that they should start learning to communicate with one another and somewhat trusting each other. Their first exercises were simple but the simplest was saved for the final day.

That final day was rough. They were put through a simulation of a mission. With just the two of them, it started off rocky but in the end they managed to communicate and work together to pull it off.

"Wonderful!" Reinhardt cheered turning off the simulation. He was impressed with the progress made in just a short week.

"Now, I have one more assignment for you two," Reinhardt continued stepping towards the two, "now that I have seen that you can cooperate in high stress situations, do this simple task. Trust falls."

The two looked at him baffled. Why now would he choose to do this? 

"Um, Rein, why?" Jesse asked.

"Final test. Both of you have to do it. As soon as you do, you may leave," he replied. 

"I will not be doing this," Hanzo said, "it is childish and ridiculous."

"Let's just get this over with," Jesse said, "I'll go first and you can go after and then we can leave and never have to do this again."

"You can fall, but I will not be" Hanzo replied. 

Jesse rolled his eyes and took his turn. Hanzo caught him like he was supposed to.

"There, done. You can let me down now," Jesse said looking up at him. As soon as he said that, Hanzo straight up dropped him. 

"Didn't have to drop me," Jesse sighed standing up, "your turn now darlin'," he said.

"No," Hanzo simply replied, turning his back to the cowboy.

"Just get it over with! Then we can leave!"

"No, I will not do something so childish."

"Well, I'd have to say that you're acting pretty childish. Fall backwards, I'll catch ya and then we can be done!"

Reinhardt decided to intervene and pushed Hanzo backwards.

As he said he would, Jesse caught him without missing a beat.

Not even caring that in the current moment that he was being held up by the cowboy, he turned his head to Reinhardt.

"Was that necessary" 

"Yes, it was. I don't want to be here all day listening to you two argue over this," Rein replied with a chuckle, "you two may leave now."

Reinhardt took his leave and left the training area leaving the two frenemies alone.

"Put me down," Hanzo said looking up at McCree. 

"Mmmm, I don't think so darlin'," he replied smirking, "for as much trouble you gave me about doin' this, this is my revenge. Watching your discomfort."

"Quit being an ass and put me down," Hanzo said once more, his honey brown eyes glaring into the darker brown ones lingering above his.

"Hmph" McCree replied letting the other fall onto the ground. He had to admit, actually getting the chance to look at Hanzos' face for more than a fleeting second was kind of nice. Jesse took note of the light shade of brown his eyes were, the way the shadows fell on his face making it seem like he was always angry. It was... kind of cute?

Hanzo hit the floor with a thud before standing up sending a glare to the taller man. Wordlessly he grabbed his bow and left. Why did it not feel as weird being held by McCree as it would have with any one else? It felt so wrong, but yet, oddly right. As he walked around base he couldn't help but think of the cowboy.

What was going on with him... what was happening...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Next update set for 2-12-17


	3. Teams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week! Almost didn't update today because I am ridiculously tired. Had my first indoor color guard competition yesterday and I am a rainbow of sore and tired. Anyways, here you all go! Chapter 3, delayed but here!

The two tried their best to avoid each other after the week of torturous bonding. Despite their best efforts, neither could forget that final day of bonding when time seemed to stop around them for the moment. No matter how they tried, they could not get the other out of their head. Both Hanzo and McCree seemed distracted by something but they could never place what it happened to be.

76 called everyone everyone to a briefing, they had their next mission set ahead of them. 

"Is everyone here?" Jack asked looking around to make sure that nobody who was on this mission was absent.

Murmured arrays of 'yes' and 'yep's were his reply.

"Good. Now, as you all may have guessed, we have our next mission in three days. We have to escort some precious cargo through a highlighted danger zone. The place is known for its bandits and crime, our job is to keep it safe at all costs," he explained, "to do so, we divided everyone into teams of three to maximize our success. Teams will be posted later on the bulletin board."

A few heads nodded in acknowledgment to his statement before mostly everyone tuned out to Jack's speech on the mission.

McCree stood leaning against the wall rather bored listening to Soldier drone on. His eyes wandered the room, looking for who all could possibly be on his team. Around the room sat D.Va, Mercy, Lucio, Reinhardt, Ana, Zarya, Tracer, Winston, Hanzo, and Zenyatta. An interesting team for a mission. Even after looking around, his eyes lingered on Hanzo for a while.

Hanzo felt like something was odd, turning around, sure enough there was the cowboy, leaning against the wall, staring right at him. 

Forgetting that he was staring, Jesse looked away after making awkward eye contact. He had to admit that he really wouldn't have minded staring a bit longer. Day by day he fell faster even if he never would admit it. 

Turning back around Hanzo tried to refocus on the mission briefing. His mind wandered and it seemed to be mere seconds but next thing he knew he heard 76 say they were dismissed. Everyone began to file out of the room.

As everyone left, McCree stole another glance at the archer, this time to be met with his gaze piercing back. Jesse smirked a bit at him before turning and leaving the room, leaving Hanzo in there by himself. 

Within an hour the teams were posted. Everyone gathered around trying to see who would be grouped with who. Among the chaos, Mercy offered to read the list off instead of everyone trying to read it at once. 

"Team A: D.Va, Lucio, and Soldier 76. Team B: McCree, myself, and Hanzo. Team C: Reinhardt, Ana, and Zarya. Finally, Team D: Tracer, Winston, and Zenyatta," Mercy said before putting the list back up on the board. 

D.Va and Lucio high-fived. The two made a rather a good team, plus the supervision of 76 means things would actually get done with escorting. Reinhardt, Ana, and Zarya would be good for defending. Tracer and Winston along with Zenyatta's abilities would be good on attack. McCree, Mercy, and Hanzo would be an interesting group on attack. 

McCree chuckled to himself and turned to leave after hearing the teams list. 

"Well, at least this will be interesting..." he muttered as he sauntered away.


	4. Defending the Objective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I am super sorry for not updating in the past 2 weeks and not updating yesterday. I caught a nasty sinus infection and I was down and out for two weeks with that and then pulling a 20 hour day starting at 5 am Saturday morning to 1 am Sunday morning. It has been crazy. Anyways, here is a long over due update! You guys might get another tomorrow, they're calling for crazy amounts of snow tomorrow for my area.

Three days passed by, too fast to remember but to slow to forget. Normally, the teams would group up and discuss a strategy. Mercy's group along with Winston's was tasked with staying ahead of the group taking enemies out as they can. Soldier's and Reinhardt's group would be staying with the payload to escort it along and protect it. They loaded into the helicopter and sat in wait as it took off. The air was heavy with anticipation as the blades droned loudly ahead. McCree sighed, by this time he would have lit a cigar but being in the copter, he was not allowed to. How well could this mission honestly go?

The copter landed not too far away from where their mission was to begin. Route 66 was their destination for this mission. Though the travelers and road trippers who used to cross the United States on the historic route are gone, the Main Streets still stands, a trip back to a simpler time. The gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes that lined the once popular destination have gone into disuse after all these years, and the fabled Deadlock Gorge can be seen in the distance. 

Everyone filed out and got ready to go. Going over plans last minute each team had a send off. Mercy, Hanzo, and McCree set off ahead first soon followed by Tracer, Zenyatta, and Winston. Everything seemed quiet as the trio snooped around the area ahead. The two teams went in two different directions leaving each to their own devices. It was not long until the first shots were fired off though none landed. It was go time.

Mercy and McCree worked together like planned taking out Deadlock members one by one. Hanzo was supposed to be helping but there was none. Mercy spoke into her communicator.

"Hanzo, do you read? Where have you gone! Over!" she called switching from gun to staff and staff to gun. There was no response at all. 

Hanzo had run up to higher ground, he did not like the plan they had agreed on so he took action by himself. He trashed his communicator leaving it shattered on a stone. 

Mercy proposed that they go look for him after nearly a half hour of no response.

"But what if something happened to him! McCree we can't just leave a team mate out like that!" she scolded before using her Caduceus staff to heal him. 

"We can't leave the mission to try and rescue him. He'll deal with his own problems. He chose to run off and abandoned the team and our mission, that is not our job to fix," McCree replied firing off a few shots landing their targets. 

Mercy looked about ready to reply but decided against it. He had a point, but she still did not have it in her to leave him behind. 

The mission was nearly over, few injuries were sustained, only one missing. Any threats were disposed of and the mission was completed.

Mercy pulled McCree to the side, much to the annoyance of the cowboy.

"Now that the mission is over, lets find him," she said sternly, "he could be seriously injured, we need to find him soon."

"Fine" he grumbled, dropping the cigar to the ground stomping it out before going off with the healer on this rescue mission.

They split up after a while, though maintaining communication through their coms. McCree headed up into the mountains in search of their missing team member.


	5. Lost and Found

The climb was rough but Jesse was glad to be alone. Despite seeming like he didn't care, he was more than worried about his missing team mate. A half hour ticked by, soon an hour and soon two. It was getting later and later as the sun sunk in the sky. He began to think all hope was fading until under a rock, something metallic glinted. Speeding over, he saw it to be a destroyed communicator.

"Shit..." he cursed to himself before looking up the trail he was on to see faint footprints, almost invisible from a dusting of dirt that blew over. Standing back up he followed the prints cautiously.

The foot prints faded more and more the further he hiked up the trail. The sun was barely over the horizon as the world glowed in hues of orange and yellows. 

Footprints faded out of visibility and desperation set back in.

"Hanzo! Where are ya!" Jesse called out in hopes of some sort of response. A little further up the trail a voice answered back. Though it was not clear to McCree what was said, there was no denying the voice was familiar. There was not much time left, running as fast as he could towards the voice, he only hoped that it was not too late.

Dust kicked up from under his heels as he ran the sound of foot hitting ground and heavy breaths filled the otherwise silent trail.

A mater of minutes passed before Jesse reached a shattering scene. Before him lay a rather bloodied and beaten Hanzo, his bow out of reach at the base of a tree near by, arrows scattered around it. 

"Hanzo!" Jesse said moving towards him, not bothering to look around, a mistake proving to be fatal.

"M-McCree... be careful, th-they're still he-" Hanzo started before a gunshot went off. Time seemed to slow in Jesse's mind, pain turning to numbness, and from numbness to burning. Growling he drew Peacekeeper from its holster. He was hit.

"Show yourselves!" Jesse called out, a bitter rage tainting his call. Another shot went off before figures stepped out from their hiding places in the brush. This time, it went not to McCree, but to the helpless one lying in pain in the dirt. 

"Han!" Jesse said, concern flashing for an instant on his face before turning to rage. 

"Y'all will pay dearly for that," he said taking his aim. Firing off a few shots and reloading, with each bullet fired he moved closer to protect his fallen teammate. 

"Mercy!" He called into his com as he continued to fire, "I've found him. Need you here stat! Sending location now, hurry! Over!"

"I'm on my way! Hold tight! Over!"

He tried his best to hold off the gang of criminals. Six were left, six against one. Each had their gun drawn and ready at McCree, who stood protectively over Hanzo who faded in and out of consciousness. 

"Just, hold on partner..." Jesse said quietly, "almost done." 

"And how do you expect to take all of us out at once, hm? What's the stupid little traitor of Deadlock gonna do," one of the gang members sneered.

McCree chuckled darkly in response. "Well... it might not be here but somewhere in the world..." he said reloading quickly, "It's high noon" 

A blinding light flashed as rapid fire shots were taken, dust had kicked up around the scene. As it settled, six dead figures lay on the ground and a triumphant cowboy still stood. He took a moment to reholster his darling Peacekeeper before kneeling down to his fallen team member. 

"Hey, Mercy'll be here soon. Hang in there..." he said, his hard look softening at a sight that made his heart break in two.

"W-Why did you come for me..." Hanzo choked out. It was a foreign feeling, feeling so feint and helpless. 

"Because..." Jesse began, "I lov- loath the idea of leaving one of us behind," he stumbled hoping that it was not too obvious to the injured man he was supporting right in the moment. Luckily it seemed to pass over his head as all he received was a grunt in reply.

"Just hang in there... please..." Jesse pleaded, watching Hanzo's eyes shut weakly. His heart still beat, but it continued to slow with each passing minute.

"Mercy! Hurry!" Jesse said into the com with more desperation than before.

"Coming over the hill now! Hold on!" 

Sure enough the glow of the angels wings were visible in the near distance. Within a matter of minutes she was able to temporarily stabilize the archer. Once given permission, Jesse picked him up with ease and the angel grabbing the bow from the tree before the trio made their way back down to the rest of the team. It took a half hour of walking to get back and each passing moment the stabilizers began to run lower and lower. 

"I don't know if he will make it..." Mercy said when they reached the air craft. Doing the best she could she patched the gun shot wound and the numerous other injuries that ailed him. 

"I pray so," Jesse replied under his breath before making his way to a vacant seat as far away as possible. The flight back was silent and the air tense with worry and uncertainty.


	6. Why?

It wasn't until early the next morning that the helicopter returned to Watch Point Gibraltar. As soon as it landed, Mercy rushed out with Hanzo on a stretcher to the med bay to begin proper treatment. He was fading, and fast. Lucio was waiting at the docking station ready to aid Mercy and bolted with her as soon as she ran out. 

To Jesse, what they were saying made no sense. Too much med talk. Everyone had disbanded and left to their quarters but Jesse lingered behind, walking slowly behind the rest.

His nerves stood on end and his mind wouldn't cease to throw the worst case scenarios at his worried heart. Lighting a cigar, he sat on a crate on a balcony. Inhale the cigar, exhale smoke. He tried his best to clear his mind and calm down. Jesse found it impossible to the point he was sure he wouldn't be sleeping that night so instead, took to sitting on that crate until the sun rose in the morning hours.

Mercy was able to stabilize the archer who, within a few hours had woken up only to fall back asleep within moments. He could not remember much of what happened. He remembered getting shot at and lying helpless, and then being saved by someone...

The sun rose and its orange tinted beams of light streaked through the large windows of the med bay. Hanzo woke around 9 am. Mercy was talking to him to try and figure out what happened.

"Well, you shouldn't have run off solo like that. You're lucky that McCree found you before it was too late," Mercy chastised.

"The cowboy?" Hanzo responded. 

"Yes Hanzo, the cowboy saved your life. Now rest and eat your breakfast."

Mercy left the med bay and went to go get coffee. 76 had taken the coffee machine out of her office after she had one too many cups trying to stay awake taking care of the never ending paperwork and patient records.

Hanzo did not mind the scolding from the medic but was more confused by the fact it was the cowboy of all people who wanted to find him. The same question ran through his mind as he ate what he was given; why?

He was mid thought when the med bay doors slid open disrupting his train of thought. Thinking it was just Mercy returning he turned his attention elsewhere.

"Hey, you feeling better?" a voice questioned. Clearly it did not belong to the blonde medic. Too deep and had a southern drawl to it.

Hanzo looked up from his bowl of cereal to see the tired and worn face of a man who had not slept a wink.

"Hm. I suppose so," Hanzo replied before turning his attention back to the more interesting empty bowl in front of him.

"That's good," Jesse replied. The room was thick with awkwardness as they sat in silence. Only after what seemed forever did Hanzo speak up.

"Why did you come to rescue me?"

Jesse had to do a double take at the question.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me," Hanzo replied with semi annoyance in his tone, "why did you come to rescue me?"

Jesse paused for a moment. 

"You're on my team. Ain't feel right to just let you die like that."

"I could have taken care of it by myself," the archer retorted, earning a stifled laugh from the cowboy. 

"No, you couldn't have. Not from laying on the ground with your weapon against a tree on the other side of the area," Jesse chuckled.

An annoyed huff was all he got in reply. Jesse got the feeling that his tolerance was running low and decided to part ways.

"Glad you're alive though," McCree said, tipping his hat before heading back to the doors. 

The Shimada sighed after the cowboy left. A person like him wouldn't just save the life of someone who has been nothing but bitter and cold to him for no reason. People like him don't do things without reason... so what was his reason...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for forever! Championships for indoor color guard are tomorrow and pre calc has been crazy to deal with.


	7. Colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN FOREVER! School has been super stressful and I haven't been able to get anything worth wile down for this fic. But, here is one of two (maybe more) updates for the day! Enjoy it while you can ヽ(˚﹏˚)ﾉ

Knowing that Hanzo was alive was all that Jesse needed to make the walk out of the med bay, even if he still hated him. Jesse made his way around to make some strong coffee. Maybe that would help to keep the poor cowboy going through a long day. 

Since the mission had ended, he had papers to fill out stating how the mission went, what was and was not accomplished, anything that went wrong, and so on. These days were the most boring and Jesse dreaded them. Normally he would just blow the work off until the very last possible moment but he thought better of that this time.

Grabbing a cup of coffee and the papers from his mailbox and went back to his room. He closed the door and opening the window, the sea breeze and salty scent filling the room. Sunlight from the morning and early afternoon sun graced the room in a warm light. McCree sat at his desk and started to work, hardly noticing when the door opened. 

"So whatcha working on?" chirped a familiar voice from behind him.

Jesse spun around to meet the intruding girl.

"Just papers Hana, what do you need?" he asked.

"I got a question."

Jesse rolled his eyes. Usually her questions were obscure and for the sake of her entertainment. She was a sweet girl but Jesse just couldn't understand her sometimes. 

"What's up?" he replied.

"So, after the mission, why did you go back for Hanzo?" Hana questioned raising an eyebrow. She was curious but there was also a rumor going around after the mission that she wanted to confirm or deny.

McCree paused for a moment. 

"I don't know Hana, didn't feel right to just leave a team mate stranded."

"But you two hated each other just last week," Hana pointed out, "what's the real reason you went back for Hanzo?"

He was caught off guard by this statement. It was true that they didn't care much for each other just a mere week ago, but after that one training exercise Jesse hasn't felt the same about the archer. His mind drifted to the memory of looking down at the frustrated scene that was Hanzo Shimada. The way his brows had furrowed, the light brown coloring of his eyes, and just everything that he had time to take in.

"You're face is getting red," Hana pointed out causing the flustered cowboy to snap back to the conversation.

"No it's not! It's the lighting in here," he said, trying his best to avoid the smirking face of the girl.

"You like him don't you!" 

"No I don't! What gave you that idea?" 

"Well, you kind of went off in thought and your face got progressively redder every second. You had that look on your face like you were thinkin' about someone that makes you happy."

Well, she sure isn't dumb when it comes to people that's for sure. Jesse's face and words were denying it but his heart knew that he was lying. No matter what he said, it was not good enough to convince her. In trying, he may have accidentally confirmed her suspicions because she had suddenly jumped up and ran out giggling and squeaking "it's true! It's true!" over and over again. 

Jesse groaned and tried to focus back on the paperwork. He was about half way done when there was another knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he grumbled, trying to keep his mind distracted. The reply was muffled but he did not quite care who it was and told them to enter. 

"Is what Hana saying true?" asked a deeper voice that Jesse recognized as the one and only. 

He had a few options. First, tell the truth, which was not likely. Second, deny it and think of an excuse. Third, play it off cool and maybe score something. He opted to try the third.

"Depends, do you want them to be?" He replied looking over to the man standing in the doorway. 

Hanzo stood leaning against the door frame. His bandages were still visible as he had just thrown on a bath robe and walked down from the med bay, despite Angela telling him not to. He had to find out if Hana was lying or telling the truth. With the cowboys question, he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be true or not. He started to get dizzy, the door frame not helping him to stand. Angela was right, he shouldn't have gotten out of the bed.

"You alright there dar-" McCree started before seeing him start to fall forwards. Bolting up he caught him before he hit the floor. Must've passed out and fell over. The med bay was too far away to try and carry him and that would certainly raise some eyebrows. So instead, Jesse picked him up and carried him the five feet over to the bed and laid him down, draping the blanket on top of him before going back to papers.

The archer did not wake for most of the day and continued to stay asleep. Jesse knew he was just sleeping because for just a second he had stirred but went back to sleep, burying himself in the pillow and blanket. He could have sworn he saw Hanzo smile just a little bit, but maybe it was just his imagination. He had finished the papers and went to go give them to 76 and on the way ran into Angela.

"You haven't happened to have seen Hanzo wandering around base have you? I told him not to leave the med bay and he disappeared," she asked.

"No I haven't, sorry Doc," Jesse replied, "I've been doing papers all day."

"Ah, very well. If you see him, drag him back to the med bay please," Mercy said before huffing and continuing her search for both more coffee and the archer.

Jesse nodded in response and bid her farewell. He reached Soldiers' office in a few minutes and left the papers on his desk before heading back to his own room. He hoped Angela did not go snooping through his room searching for Hanzo. Upon arriving at his room and seeing the archer still asleep on his bed, his hopes were true. He entered and shut the door behind him. 

The sun was setting and the room was filled with the orange and red streaks of light caused from the ending of the day. It was calm and peaceful in the room as hours passed until it became dark outside. It was around 10 pm when Jesse decided he would just take the chair and sleep in that for the night, until a voice had a different request.

"McCree...?" a faint and rough voice said from under the covers. 

"What's up, Hanzo?" he asked,promptly yawning.

"Are you going to sleep in the chair all night?"

"I was planing to."

"Well, if you'd rather," Hanzo started, "we can share the bed."

Jesse had to take a moment. 

"You sure?" he questioned. 

He got a muffled yes from the one hiding under the sheets. He obviously did not feel well. Under normal circumstances this would never be happening. Shrugging and kicking off his shoes, the cowboy crawled in the open space on the bed. It was a bit cramped as it was only a bit bigger than a twin size bed length wise. There was minimal space between them and it was not long until both fell asleep.

Jesse woke up in the middle of the night for some reason. Maybe it was the dream he had or maybe something else. He did not remember falling asleep with the extra weight on him. His eyes soon adjusted to the dark of the room and his eyes fell on the sleeping figure, cuddled up half way on top of him. At first Jesse couldn't figure out who it was, until his eyes fell on the familiar dragon tattoo on the others arm. To be honest, he was happier than he had been in a while.

"I love you," Jesse murmured before he fell asleep back asleep holding the sleeping archer closer. It might have been the only time he would have been able to.


	8. Morning Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Look! A regular update! It's miracle! Enjoy the fluff!

The night passed smoothly and soon the rays of dawn broke through the dark of the room. The first few rays broke through the curtains in soft oranges, basking the room in the warm hues. As the sun rose and the room became lighter, Jesse was the first to wake. 

With a yawn he slowly opened his eyes. Nothing much was different about the room, except for the fact that there was a person asleep on top of him. It took him a moment to realize once again that it was, in fact, Hanzo. Jesse thought that it had just been another one of his dreams, but to his delight it wasn't. He sighed contently, trying his best to not move too much. The quiet of the room was a gentle silence, a much welcomed one. Though Jesse knew that the moment the archer woke up, that silence would be gone and so would the archer. Every moment he savored for any moment it would end.

Hanzo slept soundly and nuzzled closer into Jesse's chest pulling himself into the taller man. He did not remember much from the previous day besides the rumor and confronting the cowboy about it. After that, it was a blur. Truth be told, he was hoping that it was true but his pride would never allow him to admit that. After the last day of their cooperative training, something stirred inside his chest, he couldn't look at the cowboy without feeling the warmness in his chest. He noticed the small details about him; the slight saunter in his walk, the way he said certain words in that southern drawl, and the dark brown color of his eyes that hides beneath that hat of his. In his sleeping state, he had thought he must have just ended up back in the med bay, at least until he opened his eyes.

He woke up slowly and inhaled not the scent of the sterility of the med bay, but instead a rather odd but intoxicating scent. One of cigar smoke, whiskey, and a mellowing scent of an American brand body wash. The sun was brighter in the room as he tried to open his eyes, groaning at the bright light and burying his face into what he thought was a pillow, only to be met with a slight laugh. The archer, confused and with sleep still holding his mind in a lulled state, looked up to see the face of the one he lay on. 

"Mornin' sunshine," Jesse said, looking down at the sleepy mess.

To that he was met with a groan and something of a mumbled 'good morning'. It took him a few moments to realize exactly where he was. 

"Why didn't you take me back to the med bay?" Hanzo questioned, refusing to meet Jesse's eyes but also refusing to move off his chest.

"Too far for me to drag you there by myself," he replied stretching out a bit. 

"I don't believe you ever answered my question from yesterday."

"What question was that?"

"Is the rumor... true?"

Jesse went silent for a while and a pit in Hanzo's stomach dropped faster than a bullet flies. He took that to mean a no and rolled off the bed and stood up. Jesse was too surprised by the fact that he remembered that to react. 

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Hanzo said as he started for the door.

Jesse scrambled to get out of bed as he kicked the sheet off every which way. Once freed from the clingy blankets he rushed over and grabbed Hanzo's arm.

"Wait!"

"What is it, cowman?" Hanzo replied, trying to hold onto his dignity.

"It's true," Jesse said. This wasn't exactly how he planned for that morning to go, but it might be the only shot he had.

"What's true..." the archer replied. He was confused, was it the rumor that was true or him being an inconvenience? 

"The rumor."

"Oh."

The once comfortable silence grew heavy as the awkwardness settled in. It was Hanzo who was the first to break it.

"I have to go," he sighed, slipping out of Jesse's grasp as he left the room. He wasn't sure if he was over joyed that it was true or mildly concerned at the mental state of the cowman. Truly he did holster feelings for McCree, but the last person that Hanzo cared about, ended up hurt by his own hands.

Jesse just stood in shock and watched as he left. He should have known that his confession wouldn't be met with acceptance. His hopes were crushed. It may have only been 10 o'clock in the morning but damn had his day just fallen apart. He got dressed as usual and went to the mess hall. Maybe eating something would fill the emptiness he felt in his heart. He tried everything to get rid of the numbing pain of what he pressumed to be rejection, but to no avail. 

Hanzo was no where to be seen for most of the day, he was trying to decide if it would even be worth going back and confessing himself. The day seemed to drag by too slow as hours passed through. 

Jesse had retreated back to his room with his bottle of whiskey and a coke he bought from the vending machine. Popping the top off the soda he poured some into a glass and filled the rest of the glass with whiskey. If food couldn't drown out the pain, then maybe some alcohol could. He sipped on his drink as he turned on the radio, listening to the days news and getting lost in his thoughts.

At least until there was a knock on the door. Setting his drink down on the table and turning down the radio, he stood and opened the door. He had expected it to be anyone other than who stood before him. 

"What do ya want?" Jesse sighed looking down at the archer who stood just on the other side of the door frame. 

"I wanted to," he froze up a bit, unsure if this would work, "I wanted to say thank you. For letting me stay last night that is."

"Oh, it's not a problem I guess," Jesse replied, his voice hiding the pain he felt looking down at the shorter man.

"And, as for the rumor-"

"Just, forget the rumor. It's no big deal," Jesse butted in.

"I won't be forgetting it."

"Why not? Don't suppose you feel the same, hm?" 

"Actually," Hanzo started, looking down at the ground, "I quite do feel the same."

Jesse paused for a moment. This was not how he was expecting this encounter to go. 

"Wait... really?"

Hanzo looked up at him quite flustered.

"Yes you dumb cowman, I do."

That sentence earned him a laugh. 

"After the way you left this morning, I sure thought you didn't."

"Well, I do."

"So," Jesse started, "how about a date? Tomorrow afternoon?" 

Hanzo paused at the others proposal. 

"That sounds fine."

"Then it's a date," Jesse said, his previous poker face breaking into a smile. Hanzo couldn't help but show a bit of joy on his face. Neither of them could show how happy they were.

"Then I will see you tomorrow, cowboy."

"I look forward to it," Jesse replied. Making a bolder move he planted a soft kiss on the others head.

A click of a phones camera went off the moment they made contact as a certain mischievous, rumor starting girl had overheard the conversation and taken the opportune picture. Soon everyone's phones buzzed with a text, and it did not take long for the news quickly spread around base of this new forming relationship, and just about everybody was either surprised or amused at this. Who would have imagined that the two that hated each other the most, would end up together a month later after being forced to train together.


	9. Break

Three months had passed and the odd pair could not have been happier together. Everyone around base could agree that it was a good match.

Hanzo, still rather awkward with relationships, was trying his best. He wouldn't admit that he was kind of lost in what he should do, but Jesse always reassured him that him being there was more than enough. For the first time in a long time, Hanzo felt that maybe, just maybe things were looking up for him. He was happy with Jesse, happier than he ever had been with anyone else in his life. 

Jesse was over-adoring. Every minute he could get of physical contact, lasted him another hour of happiness. It was nearly perfect. Soon enough only a month together felt like a year. They had gotten so comfortable around each other and brought out the best in the other. Jesse made Hanzo feel content in life and Hanzo made Jesse feel safe. They provided what the other needed, a near perfect symbiotic relationship if you ask anyone else. 

The pair finally had a weekend off together. Between having papers to do, small jobs to complete, and just general duties around base they had not been able to see each other for more than maybe an hour on the few nights they could. Rather than anything extravagant, they just chose to sit outside in each others company. Clouds covered much of the sky and storms were in the forecast, but not until the early evening. The two sat watching the rolling sea and its waves crash upon the shore at Watch Point; Gibraltar, the salty air and the gentle breeze was welcoming. Chatting about their week and just about anything else that came to mind. Mostly it was content silence. Words don't need to always fill up a space after all as Jesse had learned. 

Winds had started to pick up the longer the two sat there. Clouds became darker and closer as thunder could be heard off in the distance.

"Um, darlin'?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we should head inside? The wind is nearly blowin' my hat straight off my head. Don't like that rumbling in the distance either," Jesse asked, stealing a glance over at the man resting on his shoulder. 

Hanzo sat quiet for a moment, "I suppose so," he replied and moved to stand up.

There was not much out there to bring in with them, only a few empty cans of soda and some water bottles. Not long after they shut the doors behind them did the thunder get louder. The storms rolled in quite fast in this area and soon enough the rain followed in the wake of the threatening roar of thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! Sorry for not updating in literally forever but I have been sick off and on, haven't had much time or energy to do anything, and have had some really bad writers block for a while. I finally am able to update because after a few sessions of Dungeons and Dragons with my friends and watching the Critical Role live stream for their new campaign last night (side note: got 3 hours of sleep but it was so worth it Matt Mercer is an amazing DM), my creativity has returned to me oh so slightly. I promise another update soon, I have off of school this coming Monday and I promise more updates as soon as this semester ends at the end of January! Thank you all for sticking with this and commenting and continuing to read this story! I love hearing your suggestions on my writing and ways the story could potentially unfold, I am not the best at writing fluff so please feel free to leave suggestions on potential situations to put these lovely characters into! Once again thank you so much and I am very sorry for such a long delay in an update!
> 
> -Briar


	10. The Storm

The storm rolled in over the sea as Jesse and Hanzo walked inside. The door shut as the rain began to fall, at first only a drizzle, picking up to a downpour in a matter of minutes. It didn't take long for the lights to begin to flicker in the headquarters.

After not being used for a few years, the base was still a little sketchy at times. Parts of the roof leaked a bit and a steady drip came through cracks in the ceilings. Pans, jars, and most anything imaginable was being used to catch water.

Hanzo and Jesse headed to the common area and sat on the couch waiting for the storm to pass. Whatever was on tv was more entertaining than the rain beating against the window.

"Hey, sugar?" Jesse asked looking over to hanzo.

"Hm?"

"Ya seem a little tense da-" he was cut off by a loud boom of tunder and a small squeak from the other man sitting next to him.

"... I have no idea what you are talking about" Hanzo replied, a bit salty and slightly embarrassed.

Another crash later and a flash of lighting and the power flickered a few times before going out. The room was nearly pitch black save for the minimal light sneaking into the room through the windows. Hanzo practically jumped and latched onto his cowboy.

"It's alright darlin', you're safe here" McCree soothed, wrapping an arm around his now somewhat awkwardly curled up archer. He'll admit he wasn't the best at this but he sure as hell would make an effort.   
Hanzo gave a curt nod and snuggled into McCree's chest, trying to find comfort in the cigar smoke and whiskey scent that flooded his senses to little success. Another roll of thunder and blinding flash of lightning passed catching the pair off guard once more. The emergency generator began to flicker on finally as a gloomy and almost haunting pale glow of the emergency lights struggled to remain lit.

Shifting a little bit, Jesse pulls off his serape and drapes it around Hanzo, who proceeds to pull it tight around himself. It was a comfortable quiet that sat between them and a while passed before Jesse spoke up quietly.

"Hey Han?"

He got no response and looked down at the archer. Asleep, how cute Jesse thought, smiling a bit. 

Truth be told Hanzo wasn't really asleep, but comfortable enough to lie in the comfortable state between sleep and consciousness. 

Jesse's hand wandered and gently rubbed the others back as he sunk into the couch a bit more. He began to hum at first before singing quietly.

"But I can't help falling in love, with, you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help, falling in love with you" he sang softly, trailing his hand up and down Hanzo's back, tracing circles every now and then.

"Like a river flows, gently to the sea, darling so it goes somethings are meant to be. Take, my, hand. Take my whole life too, for I, can't help, falling in love with you."

A content hum came from the man cuddled up against him, a small but sweet smile crossing his lips.


End file.
